I'm Sorry I Can't Be Perfect
by ChaosRebel101
Summary: Inspired by Simple Plan’s song “Perfect” Rico’s parents divorce and things begin changing. Rico’s acting different and Miley becomes concerned. Why does he come to school everyday with cuts and bruises? MileyxRico Riley FRIENDSHIP warning: child abuse
1. Chapter 1

**I'm Sorry I Can't Be Perfect**

_Inspired by Simple Plan's song "Perfect" _Rico's parents divorce and things begin changing. Rico's acting different and Miley becomes concerned. Why does he come to school everyday with cuts and bruises? (MileyxRico Riley FRIENDSHIP) warning: child abuse

* * *

**Chapter One: Hey Dad, Look At Me**

Rico sat at the top of the steps to his house. He heard his mom and dad yelling at each other. He winced when he heard his dad smack his mom.

"That's it! I'm leaving!" his mother shouted.

Rico's eyes widened as he ran down the steps.

"No! Mom no, don't leave me!" he cried. His dad grabbed the collar of his shirt, preventing him from going any closer to his mother.

His mom turned to Rico, a tear trickling down her cheek. She whispered a faint "I'm sorry" and left.

Rico hung his head. His dad let go of his shirt and he fell to the floor. He looked up at his dad, his brown eyes wide. "Are you OK?" he asked him.

His dad nodded slowly. Rico walked over to his dad and put a comforting hand on his shoulder. To his surprise, his dad shoved him away. Rico crashed into a table, a bruise forming on his arm.

"Rico, _mijo_, I'm sorry." his dad said.

"I know." Rico said hesitantly. He got up and ran up to his room. Locking the door, he laid down on his bed, pulling his knees up to his chest. Tears began pouring down his cheeks as he fell asleep.

-

"RICO! WAKE UP!" Mr. Suarez yelled the next morning.

Rico moaned and rolled out of bed. He quickly got dressed and ran downstairs. On his way down, he crashed into a table, holding a vase. The vase wobbled and fell over sending glass all over the floor. Rico looked up at his dad. He was fuming.

"Dad, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean-"

His dad cut him off with a slap across the face. Rico put his hand on his stinging cheek, tears starting to sting his eyes.

"You baby." his dad said, shoving Rico. He landed right on top of the glass shards. His arm stung painfully.

"Get to school." his dad said gruffly. When Rico didn't move, he added, "NOW!"

Rico got up and scrambled out of the house.

-

He ran all the way to school, making sure he wasn't late. He went to the bathroom before class and pushed up the sleeve of his shirt. He winced at the scratches from the glass on his forearm and the bruise from when his dad pushed him into a table. Tears stung at his eyes but he wiped them away. He pushed down his sleeve and ran to first period…

* * *

**a/n: I don't know Rico's last name for the show, so I just made one up(Suarez). Hope you enjoy this fic! **


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two: Think Back And Talk To Me**

"Hey Rico." Miley said to Rico at his locker.

"Hey Miley." Rico said shyly. He has a crush on Miley but she didn't know it.

"So…how are things?" Miley asked slowly.

"Fine I guess." Rico said.

"Jackson told me your parents split. I'm really sorry."

"It's ok. Dad took it pretty hard though."

"Well if you wanna talk to someone, I'm available."

"Cool. Thanks." Rico blushed when Miley ruffled his dark brown hair and walked away.

Rico smiled and his day seemed to be better than he thought.

-

**Rico's POV**

I sat at the top of the stair case again and waited for dad to get home. I heard the front door open and I swallowed hard. I made my way downstairs slowly and stood at the bottom of the stairs.

"H-hey Dad." I said, my voice shaky.

"Shut up and leave me alone." dad growled pushing me hard to the floor. My face hit the kitchen counter and a bruise formed around my eye instantly. As I slid to the floor, the edge of the counter scratched my cheek. I stood up shakily and started to run up the steps.

Bad idea.

I crashed into dad. I nearly fell down the stairs. I grabbed the railing for support. Dad's eyes were flashing dangerously.

"S-sorry." I whispered nervously.

He grabbed me by the neck, lifting me up. I kicked my feet to get free. I was feeling lightheaded. I couldn't breathe.

And dad was…

Laughing! Laughing at all my pain.

"Dad…" I gasped. "Can't…breathe…"

Smirking, dad let me go and I tumbled down the steps. I heard him laugh at me again before I blacked out…

-

"Rico…"

I heard a voice. A gentle voice.

Was I dead? Had dad actually killed me?

"Rico…wake up!"

I opened my eyes and slowly sat up. I looked around. I was at "Rico's Surf Shop" my dad's store. Dad probably dropped me off here before he left for work. And since it was Saturday, I didn't have school.

"Rico are you alright?" Jackson asked. He was the voice that woke me up.

"Hmm-mm." I said. I stood up and rubbed my head. It hurt.

"Whoa, how'd you get that shiner?" he asked. I lightly touched my black eye and winced.

"Baseball. Me and dad were playing in the yard yesterday." I lied.

"But what about the bruise on your neck?"

"I got hit there too. I guess baseball isn't my sport." I laughed weakly. Jackson laughed too.

"Probably. But why were you unconscious?"

"I passed out from lack of sugar." I said sarcastically. "Listen Jackson, I gotta go." I left the shop and ran home.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three: Did I Grow Up According To Plan?**

Back at school Monday, Rico had a new mess of bruises and scars and cuts. He was weaker and more tired all the time.

"Hey shrimp." a jock said to Rico shoving him into a locker.

Rico glared at him, but his glare softened when Miley put a hand on his shoulder. "Don't listen to them Rico." she said.

"Yeah." Lilly added. "They're just teasing you because their life is so pathetic."

"Besides you're an easy target." Oliver added. Miley and Lilly shot him a look and Rico walked away.

-

"C'mere little boy. I'll help you into your locker." the same jock said. Rico growled and punched him in the gut. His eyes widened at what he just did and he started to back away.

Soon enough the two of them were fighting in the middle of the hallway…

-

"Hello Lillian." Rico's dad said to her in the parking lot. He's the only adult who called Lilly by her full name.

"Hello Mr. Suarez." Lilly said.

"Have you seen my son?"

"Um, he's fighting in the school." Lilly said quietly.

Mr. Suarez growled angrily and went in the school, Lilly following.

-

Lilly and Rico's dad went into the school and Lilly froze at the sight.

Rico was rolling on the ground with some jock three times his size! They were punching and kicking each other. Miley and Oliver were standing at the side, screaming for Rico to stop. Many other onlookers were watching

"Rico!" his father called and bounded down the steps. He ignored him. Mr. Suarez reached over and lifted his son by his shirt collar. He was still trashing around.

"Rico."

He immediately froze. He recognized that voice too well.

"I'm sorry about this, I'll make it up to you." Mr. Suarez said. "Come on _mijo._" he said to Rico through clenched teeth. Rico picked up his bag and raced into his dad's car.

"Da-" Rico started

"Shut up!" Mr. Suarez snapped.. The rest of the ride home was in silence.

-

"I'm sorry...I'm so sorry. I won't do it again...I'll try harder, I swear...please, just stop…I'm sorry." Rico sobbed, holding his head in pain.

"Shut up! I'm tired of your excuses!" Mr. Suarez spat.

Rico spit blood out of his mouth.

Why was his life this screwed up?

He moaned as he stood up. The room was spinning. Mr. Suarez grabbed him by his shirt collar and threw him to the stairs. Rico landed hard on the steps. Blood stained the carpet. He coughed and pushed hair out of his face.

"I'm…sorry." Rico whispered.

"What did I tell you?" Mr. Suarez asked. He started towards his son and raised a beer bottle. He smashed it over Rico's head. Rico moaned in pain. Mr. Suarez smirked and walked into his room, leaving Rico there.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four: And Do You Think I'm Wasting My Time**

Rico walked into school the next day. Everyone stopped and stared at him. He couldn't blame them. He had a black eye, cuts on his cheek and forehead, a bruise on his neck, and AC bandages wrapped around his arms. He stared at the ground as he walked to his locker.

**Miley's POV**

"OK, see you guys later." I said to Lilly and Oliver as I turned down another corridor. I saw Rico by his locker and decided to stop by for a visit.

Since his mom left him and his dad, he was acting really weird. And I always see him with some kind of bruises or cuts or something. It's getting me worried.

Anyway when I got to Rico's locker, I gasped. He looked horrible!

"Rico, are you alright?" I asked.

"Fine." he said distractedly.

"How-how did you get those-"

"They're from the fight." he cut me off.

"Are you sure? I mean-"

"I'm fine Miley! Just leave me alone!" he snapped.

My eyes widened and I took a step back. "Sorry." I whispered.

"I-I'm sorry." Rico said. "I gotta go." he grabbed his stuff and ran into a classroom. Sighing, I leaned on a row of lockers. I had to figure out what was wrong with Rico.

-

**Rico's POV**

Why did I snap at Miley? Why was I such a jerk? Sighing happily that I was the only one in the classroom, I shut the door and sat at a desk. I laid my head down, painfully might I add, and sat there thinking.

I had to get away from Dad. He was going to kill me if I didn't. but no one else knew my secret. And I can't just tell anyone…

Can I?

I know Miley probably suspects it, but I'm not risking anything. I'm tough. I can handle dad.

The day went on. Classes were such a blur.

-

I got on the bus to get home. When we arrived at my house I walked in to see dad sitting on the couch.

_I'm tough. I can handle dad._ I thought.

I swallowed thickly. He had a cigarette in his hand. He took a long drag and smiled at me. A very creepy smile. "C'mere boy." he said. Slowly I made my way to him. Then in one quick movement, dad grabbed me and twisted my arm behind my back. I was stuck. He took his cigarette and pressed it against my neck.

I screamed bloody murder. I felt nothing but searing, overwhelming pain.

Dad let go of me and I dropped to the floor.

"What…did…I do?" I asked between breaths.

Dad bent down and got close to my face. "You were born." he whispered grimly.


	5. Chapter 5

**a/n: sorry it's so short!**

**Chapter Five: Doing Things I Wanna Do?**

**Miley's POV**

That night I was awoken by a scream of pain. I walked towards my window and looked out it. It was scary hearing that. You'd think somebody was being tortured or something. Shrugging it off, I laid back in bed and fell asleep.

-

The next morning, Oliver and Lilly were over.

"I'm serious guys, there's something wrong with him." I said. "Why is he always covered in bruises?"

"Doesn't he have reasons for them?" Lilly asked.

"Yes but I don't believe them." I said.

"Miley, you're blowing this out of proportion. I'm sure Rico's fine." Oliver said.

Is sighed. "I guess so." I said.

-

**Rico's POV**

CRASH!

I landed on the coffee table and it broke in half. Wood poked at my ribs. Dad made a grab for me and picked me up. I kicked my feet trying to get away. I kicked him in the chest and he dropped me.

I got myself up and started to run to the door. Dad grabbed me again. I felt his belt hit my body. I screamed in pain until he let me go.

I fell to my knees, trembling in pain and fear. I looked up and saw dad walking towards me, his belt in his hand. I hastily got up and made a beeline for my room. I locked the door.

Pacing the room, I needed to think of an idea.

Dad was banging on my door. "OPEN THIS FRICKIN DOOR!" he shouted. Panicking, I opened my window. I grabbed my school bag and put some clothes and money in it. I climbed on the edge of the window, looking back fearfully. Dad banged on the door once more.

And I jumped…


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six: But It Hurts...**

He was hurtling faster and faster towards the ground until he finally landed with a thud. He moaned and rolled over, his eyes slowly shutting.

-

"Did anyone see what happened?"

"Nope."

"Maybe he fell."

"From a two-story building?"

"Maybe he was pushed."

"Where are this kid's parents?"

"The house is empty."

"Get, back! Give him some air!"

"I think he's waking up."

Rico moaned and opened his eyes. He sat up and looked around. He grabbed his book bag and started to run away.

"Hey kid, wait…"

The man's calls were deaf to Rico's ears. He just continued to run.

-

He stopped at a house and began rapidly knocking on the door. He waited until it was answered.

"Rico? What are you doing here?"

"Miley…I need a place to stay." Rico said.

-

"So, what's up?" Miley asked Rico. The two were sitting in Miley's room.

"Well, my dad wanted to see if he could find my mom so I needed a place to spend the night." Rico lied smoothly.

"Oh, alright." Miley said, not fully believing him. "Wanna sleep on the couch?"

"Sure. Thanks Miley." Rico said. He walked out of Miley's room.

-

It was around midnight.

Rico was peacefully asleep on the Stewart's couch when he was roughly shaken awake. He opened his eyes and gasped.

His dad was standing above him.

Mr. Suarez grabbed Rico and hauled him out of the house, unaware that he woke up Miley.

-

"WHAT DID YOU TELL THEM?!" Rico's dad roared, harshly shaking him. Rico's chin trembled.

"N-nothing!" he said. "Nothing I swear!"

"You're a little liar." he spat.

"No, please don't hit me." Rico pleaded.

Mr. Suarez grabbed a vase and smashed it over Rico's head. The boy fell to the floor, holding his head. He struggled to get up, but he was thrown into the wall.

"Stop! Just stop!" Rico sobbed.

"Who are you telling me what to do?" Mr. Suarez asked his son.

"Why are you doing this to me?" Rico asked faintly. He let out a cry of pain when his dad kicked him in the stomach.

"Because you made her leave!" he yelled.

"No I didn't!" Rico said. His dad kicked him again and punched him in the jaw. Rico felt blood ooze from his face. He fell limp to the floor when his dad walked away.

-

Miley stared in horror as Rico's father beat him senseless. Blood was everywhere. Rico was being thrown around like a rag doll. When he fell limp to the floor, a tear spilled down Miley's cheek.

'_Rico gets abused?'_ she thought.


	7. Chapter 7

* * *

**Chapter Seven: When You Disapprove All Along**

Miley walked up to Rico the next day in school. "We need to talk." she said.

"This can't be good." Rico sighed. "Please, I can change. Don't leave me, baby." he said dramatically.

"What are you talking about?" Miley asked confused.

"Aren't you dumping me?" Rico asked, hiding a grin.

"Dumping you? Rico we aren't even going out!" Miley said.

Rico snickered. "Oh, right. My bad. So what'd you wanna talk about toots?"

"C'mere." Miley took his arm and led him into the cafeteria. Nobody was in there but the two of them.

"Rico…I kinda followed you back home last night, and I…" Miley trailed off.

"You what?" Rico demanded.

"I saw your dad…hitting you." Miley mumbled.

Rico didn't say anything.

"Rico, do you get abused?" Miley asked.

"What?! My-my dad loves me. He wouldn't hit me." Rico insisted.

"But, I saw him-"

"You were probably seeing things." Rico said. He turned to leave, but stopped. "But you wouldn't tell anyone what you think you saw, right?" he asked timidly.

"N-no." Miley said.

Rico sighed, but felt a sharp pain. "Ow!"

"What's wrong?" Miley asked.

"Nothin'. Look, I gotta go." Rico left, ignoring the pain he felt.

-

"I really thinks there's a problem ya'll." Miley whispered to Lilly and Oliver in class.

"Miles, if he said there's nothing going on, then he must be telling the truth." Lilly whispered back.

"Rico, please come to the board." Ms. Kunkle said.

Rico stood up from his seat and started to walk to the front of the class. He felt immense pain and dropped to his knees, his arms wrapped around his side.

"Rico!" Miley cried. She, Ms. Kunkle, and some other students ran to his side. His breathing became strained and he dropped to the ground. His eyes were shut as he laid limp on the classroom floor.

"Miley, get the nurse!" Ms. Kunkle said.

Miley wasted no time and ran out of the classroom.

-

Rico opened his eyes groggily. He was on a stretcher and was being rushed into ER.

"He's waking up." a female doctor said.

Rico moaned in pain again before he blacked out.

-

Rico laid in a hospital bed, his eyes shut. His hospital bracelet read:

**Suarez, Ricardo  
****ID: 85873 295-13-7665  
****ADM: 04-05 DOB: 06-11-96  
****Dr. Allison **

He had a bandage on his neck and stitches in his side, below his ribcage. He had an IV in his arm and tubes in his nose. The solemn beeps of his heart monitor filled the room.

Suddenly his chest heaved.

"Rico?" a voice said. Rico opened his eyes and lifted his head slightly.

"Rico! He's awake! Everybody, he's awake!" the voice shouted. Rico still couldn't make it out.

People came rushing into his room. They were all blurs to him. He moaned and tried to sit up. His vision became clearer. He saw Miley, Lilly, and Oliver standing on his side. It was probably Miley's voice he heard. He also saw a female doctor. He also saw…

His dad.


	8. Chapter 8

**a/n: sorry I haven't updated in like forever. I was grounded and I couldn't go on my computer. But don't worry- I'll update quickly. oh, and sorry this chapter is so short.**

**-**

**Chapter Eight: And Now I Try Hard To Make It**

Several days later, Rico was released from the hospital. He had a few broken ribs, but nothing life-threatening. He would be able to go back to school too.

**-at Rico's house-**

Mr. Suarez brought down his belt, slamming it against Rico's tender flesh. Rico screamed in pain as the belt ripped through his shirt and hit the skin on his back repeatedly. He harshly pulled Rico up from the floor and held him by his shoulders.

"Don't you be go landing' your ass in any more trouble, got that?" he asked. Rico was too afraid to reply. "Do you hear me? DO YOU HEAR ME RICO?"

"I HEAR YA!" Rico yelled back, tears streaming down his face. Mr. Suarez threw Rico down to the floor. He hit the hard wooden floor and began sobbing.

"I'm…sorry." he sobbed. "I'm sorry. Why do you hate me? I'm sorry!"

Mr. Suarez spat on his son and walked away.

-

The next day, Rico woke up in his bed. Rico got up and walked into the bathroom. He slammed his fist on the door and tried to stop the tears that wanted to fall out of his eyes.

"Rico? Are you OK?" his father asked in a calm, normal-sounding voice.

"I'm fine." Rico choked out. He opened the door and was face-to-face with his dad. "M-morning f-f-father." Rico stuttered nervously.

"Good morning _mijo_." Mr. Suarez said. He ruffled Rico's hair and walked downstairs. Rico cocked his eyebrows. His dad looked…different. He was acting like a normal dad. He was…sober? Rico didn't know and he didn't press the subject. As long as he wasn't getting beat.

Rico went back into the bathroom and grabbed a razor. _'Is it worth it?'_ he thought. Sighing, he stuck it in his book bag and ran downstairs.

-

"I'm leaving." Rico said and slid by his dad.

"Rico! Wait!" his dad called. Rico backed up against the wall, breathing heavy.

"Have a great day son." he said.

-

At school, Rico noticed everyone was staring at him. Probably because a white boy was decked out in black . He shrugged it off and walked to his locker.

Miley walked over to him, her eyes wide.

"Rico…new look?" she asked.

"Kinda." Rico said. He struggled to pull his backpack out of his locker; it was stuck.

"Here, lemme help." Miley said. She and Rico gave one more tug and the bag popped out with a pop.

Something fell out of his backpack. Miley picked it up. It was a razor. Rico's eyes widened as he snatched it away and shoved it in his book bag.

"Rose, what happened to you?" Miley asked. he shrugged.

"Nothing. I've just changed." he muttered and walked away.


	9. Chapter 9

****

a/n: in the previous chapter, I accidentally put Rose at the end instead of Rico. That's because my brother was asking me what my favorite flower was, so I accidentally typed it. Sorry!!

-

**Chapter Nine: I Just Wanna Make You Proud**

**-Rico's POV-**

That whole day, people kept giving me weird looks. That annoyed me. But what annoyed me even more was that Miley found my razor. It's not like I was going to use it…I think. I'm not sure.

Things have been weird at home.

Dad's like, sober and nice to me now. He won't beat me or anything. But I don't know how long it's going to last but I hope it's for a while.

I like dad this way. Nice. It's like he was before the divorce; before he started abusing me.

"Alright, class, now take out your notebooks and write a fictional story. The topic is anything you want, so be creative." the teacher said.

I reached in my book bag and grabbed my notebook. I opened it and took out my pencil.

_I Just Wanna Make You Proud_

_By: Rico Suarez_

_There was a boy of the age of twelve. He was a simple boy- smart, sweet, and nice to others. But that was at school. At home the boy led a totally different life._

_His father would drink. A lot. And then he'd get drunk and beat the boy. Terribly too. His dad would hit him with his belt, with beer bottles, basically anything he could use. The boy would come to school with cuts and bruises and scars. His friends would wonder what was wrong, but he never told._

_One day, the boy got into a fight at school. His dad found out and was NOT please. He was so angry, that when they got home, the beating was so brutal, the boy was almost unconscious. Dead even. _

_That scared him._

_The boy thought he could handle his father. He didn't want his friends to know his secret. When the boy went home, his father burned his neck with a cigarette. He left a mark there, but the boy hid it well with cover up. The father said all this was because he was born._

_One time, the boy was being beaten so bad, he couldn't take it anymore. Tables broke. Blood was everywhere. It was just him, his dad, and his dad's belt. The boy ran away that night. He jumped out of his bedroom window and stayed at his friends house. _

_His dad found him at his friend's house and took him back home. He was so angry with his son, he smashed a vase over his head. The father said it was his fault that their mother divorced them._

_Deep down, he thought that was true._

_The next day in school, the boy's friend questioned him about being abused. He denied it. _

_A couple hours later in class, the boy fell to the ground. He felt sharp pain in his side and he fell unconscious. _

_He woke up at the hospital. His father was there. The boy was scared. That night in the hospital, the boy didn't sleep. Part of him felt safe but part of him felt terrified._

_The next few days, nothing happened. Except for one night. The dad beat him as usual. He cried and begged him to stop. He apologized for whatever he did to make his dad hate him._

_The next day, it all changed._

_The boy decided he needed a change. He wore all black to school and he took a razor with him. He didn't think he was going to do anything with it, but he wasn't sure. The boy's dad didn't hurt him. But he had a feeling it wouldn't last for long._

_All the boy wanted was his father to love him. He wanted to make his dad proud. But he knew that his dad wouldn't love him again._

I looked up and noticed that everyone was gone. I guess I worked right through the bell. Tears were streaming down my face. I folded the story and stuck it in my pocket and ran to my next class…


End file.
